Hello Richmondside readers. Here are some highlights of things to do and know this coming week. You can participate in a city effort to discuss neighborhood improvement ideas, check out some iconic classic cars, celebrate the start of school with carnival games, enjoy some line dancing and more!
For additional events, check our calendar and be sure to add your own listings as well.
City kicks off meetings to unite neighborhoods
Three meetings for residents of seven neighborhoods will be held as part of a citywide Neighbor-to-Neighbor initiative sponsored by the California Volunteers organization through the governor’s office. The local program is funded through the end of 2025 and will eventually encompass 20 Richmond neighborhoods with a goal of exploring social connections and brainstorming neighborhood improvement ideas.
The first few meetings that have been scheduled are:
- Shields-Reid: 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. tonight, Shields-Reid Community Center, 1410 Kelsey St.
- East and North & East: 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 26, Richmond Memorial Auditorium and Convention Center, 403 Civic Center Plaza.
- Laurel Park, Marina Bay, Panhandle Annex, Richmond Annex: 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Booker T. Anderson Community Center, 960 S. 47th St.
Richmond’s best businesses honored Wednesday
The Richmond business community will be spotlighted at an awards ceremony next week.
The Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Best of Richmond 2024 dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Courtyard Richmond Berkeley Hotel, 3150 Garrity Way.
The award recipients were selected based on 20,000 votes cast by community members during a four-month period. The types of businesses honored range from restaurants to children’s programs to healthcare facilities to household services to stores to professional services.
Horseback riding, carnival games Saturday
An afternoon of horseback riding, carnival games and train rides will be the focus of an event this weekend kicking off the new school year.
The nonprofit Fierce Advocates is sponsoring the 4th annual School Jump-Off. The free event, including a limited giveaway of school supplies, is from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Bright Futures Growth and Development Center, 1650 Manor Road.
Children can enjoy riding a horse, playing carnival games or going on a train ride. There will also be a special performance from 5-year-old Ivan Dance With Me.
Classic cars on display and brews to sip Sunday
You can check out some iconic cars at an annual showcase this weekend.
The 7th Annual Summer Classic will be from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday at the East Brother Beer Co., 1001 Canal Blvd. Attendees can view the vehicles and vote on their favorites. There will also be an array of food trucks as well as live music.
Event organizers say the Summer Classic “is a way of paying homage to iconic cars and the people who meticulously care for them.”
Line dancing for older adults this Saturday
A line dancing get-together for older adults will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium and Convention Center, 403 Civic Center Plaza.
Cost for the Senior Line Dancing event is $15 per person. Beginners as well as experienced dancers are welcome.
The event is sponsored by the Richmond Commission on Aging and the City of Richmond Community Services Recreation Division.
Point Richmond concert series finale is Friday
The final performance in the Point Richmond Summer Concerts 2024 will be held on Friday evening.
The musical event will be from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in downtown Point Richmond at the corner of Park Place and Washington Avenue.
The swing punk band Van Goat will play from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Latin musical group Bululu will perform from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Local restaurants will be open during the concert. Visitors can also view works from The Arts of Point Richmond and there will be face painting for children and dancing in the street.
The event is sponsored by Point Richmond Music, a non-profit organization that “provides free outdoor summer concerts as a way to build community through the unifying language of music.”
Woof: Pack walk for dogs and their owners Sunday
A Community Pack Walk will be held Sunday for dogs and their owners.
The two-hour walk along the Richmond shoreline begins at 10 a.m. at the Richmond Ferry Terminal, 1499 Harbour Way.
All dog breeds are welcome to participate. Dogs that are available for adoption will also be present.
‘No Man’s Land’ film festival at Mountain Hardware today
Mountain Hardware will host a showing of the No Man’s Film Festival this afternoon.
The event will run from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the company’s headquarters at 1414 Harbour Way in the Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park.
The festival’s goal is to “amplify women and genderqueer communities in the outdoors through creative mediums such as film.”
It has been showcased in cities throughout the country with Richmond being one of the stops.
Gun range hosts weekend competition
The Richmond Rod & Gun Club will host a competition this weekend for gun enthusiasts.
The Northern California Regional Classic will be held all day on Saturday and Sunday at the gun range at 3155 Goodrick Ave.
Organizers call it a “perfect balance of friendly competition and competitive challenges.”
The competition is for seasoned professionals as well as first-time owners.
Music and comedy at the Baltic Kiss restaurant
A week of music and comedy begins tonight at the Baltic Kiss restaurant, 135 Park Place in Point Richmond.
Shoplifters United and Just Like Heaven will kick this off with a performance tonight from 8 p.m. to 11:55 p.m..
Jimbo Scott, the 529s and Lolah will all play on Friday evening from 8 p.m. to 11:55 p.m.
On Saturday night, Allen Ling is Back will share the stage with Jake Cassman and Dave Lopez from 8 p.m. to 11:55 p.m.
Cole Panther will perform on Sunday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. followed by Fairies and Laura Lackey’s Rhythm Revue from 8 p.m. to 11:55 p.m.
Laughter will be the focus of the next evening with the I Heart Monday Night Comedy from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. That is followed by a Monday Night Jam from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.
On Wednesday evening, Teeth on Wheels and Sparkle Plenty will take the stage from 8 p.m. to 11:55 p.m.
Music this weekend at the Sailing Goat restaurant
Music and food will also be available this weekend at the Sailing Goat restaurant, 1900 Stenmark Drive.
On Friday, Nashville Honeymoon, a Berkeley honky tonk band, will perform from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
On Saturday, The Bonafides, a group featuring classic and modern New Orleans rhythm and blues, will be on stage from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
On Sunday, it’ll be Brazilian Happiness with Forro da Gente performing from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
New park playground celebration on Saturday
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held for a new playground structure at Montalvin Park in San Pablo this weekend. The event will begin at noon Saturday at the park on Denise Road.
The festivities will include a free backpack giveaway, free food and drinks and a free healthy recipe cookbook. There will also be a no-cost immunization clinic for children.
“The new state-of-the-art play structure will help improve children’s social learning, health and growth, and enhance this community space as a place for parents to relax and meet neighbors,” Contra Costa Supervisor John Gioia told Richmondside.
Food distribution organization has new headquarters
A nonprofit organization that helps distribute food throughout Contra Costa County will celebrate its new headquarters.
A ribbon-cutting for the White Pony Express offices will be from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday at the group’s new central location at 2470 Bates Ave. in Concord.
White Pony Express provides healthy food to 98 community-based organizations with items from 75 grocers, distributors, farmers and restaurants. The organization has 700 volunteers countywide that help serve 125,000 people per year.
The group has 15 nonprofit recipient partners in Richmond that helped hand out 700,000 pounds of food in the city per year.
Ongoing events, news and government meetings
Every week, local agencies and organizations host a variety of recurring events. See our calendar for more and add your local events there for free.
- Two farmers markets are held weekly in Richmond. The Civic Center Farmers Market runs from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Friday in front of the main library, 325 Civic Center Plaza. The Marina Bay Farmers Market is held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday at Marina Bay Park in the parking lot near Regatta Boulevard and Melville Square.
- A farmers market is also held weekly in El Sobrante. The market, organized by Planting Justice, is held on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 5166 Sobrante Ave.
- Visit a museum, get a free transit ride. The Contra Costa Library is offering free $20 Clipper cards to residents when they make a reservation to visit a museum. There are nearly 30 museums in the Bay Area that qualify under the program. Offer is limited to two Clipper cards per household. The program runs through the end of December.
- For seniors, every Thursday the Seniors Network Activity Program hosts free Tai Chi from 11 a.m to noon at Lifelong William Jenkins Wellness Center, 150 Harbour Way. Attendees are advised to wear comfortable clothing and shoes. Sessions are open to both seated and standing participants. For more information call (510) 684-9266.
- Saturdays at the Richmond Recreation Complex, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 3230 Macdonald Ave. Enjoy instructional activities such as Zumba, soccer, basketball, and chess Visit the website to register. Children under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult.
- Infant & Toddler Music and Movement Storytime, 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Mondays, Richmond Main Library, 325 Civic Center Plaza. This Richmond Public Library Children’s Room program includes songs, fingerplays and books that are designed for families with babies and toddlers, but all ages of children are welcome.
- Family Storytime, 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. Wednesdays, Richmond Main Library, 325 Civic Center Plaza. This Richmond Public Library Childrens Room program is geared toward families with toddlers. The event is a storytime session with a Richmond librarian.
- The Knit ‘n’ Needle Club meets every Thursday from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the West Side Branch Library, 135 Washington Ave. The gathering is for knitters, crochet and needleworkers of all levels. The meeting is a chance for people who enjoy this craft to get together while they work.
- The Richmond City Council usually meets on the first, third and fourth Tuesday of every month. The meetings are held at City Hall, 440 Civic Center Plaza. Its next regularly scheduled meeting is Sept. 10.
- The Richmond Planning Commission usually meets on the first Thursday of every month. The meetings are usually held at City Hall, 440 Civic Center Plaza.
- The West Contra Costa Unified School District board usually meets twice a month, on Wednesday nights, in the multipurpose room of Lovonya DeJean Middle School, 3400 Macdonald Ave. in Richmond. A public hearing to review the district’s Local Control Accountability Plan is scheduled for Tuesday. On Wednesday the school board meeting will consider approving the plan, which must be accepted before the board can vote on its already delayed 2024-25 budget. Visit the WCCUSD calendar for the most current meeting information.
Be sure to add your Richmond events to our calendar. If you know of an event that you think we should highlight in What’s Up, please email hello@richmondside.org at least two weeks in advance if possible.
